Chapter 614
He pulled her tightly into his arms.
His heart felt as if gripped by an invisible hand.
The pain was so intense he could barely breathe.
How had she become so sensitive, so extreme?
Had something truly happened these past few days that he didn't know about?
Liam Sullivan dialed Oliver Winston's number again.
Oliver's tone remained light and easy.
He said women often viewed marriage as more important than life itself.
Being publicly abandoned at an engagement party was a severe blow.
It was perfectly normal for her to be upset and throw a tantrum.
"Just keep trying to soothe her," Oliver advised.
"Go along with her wishes for now. She'll come around in time."
After hanging up, Liam opened his computer.
He searched for news about the engagement party.
All reports had been meticulously scrubbed clean.
Only a few brief notices remained.
They simply stated the event was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
No further details were provided.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.
Perhaps he really was overthinking it.
She had been acting strangely even before the engagement.
She kept pestering him, asking if they could skip the engagement and go straight to marriage.
Now, with this unexpected disaster at the engagement party, it was undoubtedly the final straw for her.
Given such a shock, emotional instability was understandable.
The next morning, Vivian Bennett woke up.
Her expression was still cold and distant.
But at least she wasn't as agitated and resistant as the day before.
Liam's anxious heart settled slightly.
He believed that given enough time, everything would slowly improve.
Even though a layer of detachment remained between them, he swallowed his pride.
He approached her, trying to find topics for conversation.
She occasionally responded with a few words.
Her tone was flat, and her gaze rarely met his.
He knew the emotional barrier was still there.
All he could do was use more gentleness and patience.
He hoped to slowly melt it away.
The engagement was on hold, but he accelerated the wedding preparations instead.
Once they were married, they would be husband and wife in the eyes of the law and society.
Then, no matter what happened, nothing could truly separate them.
This would soothe her restless heart.
It would also calm the faint unease lurking in his own.
Ten days later, Vivian insisted on being discharged from the hospital.
Back at the villa, the first thing she did was move all her belongings.
She took everything back to the room she had occupied before the marriage.
"I want to sleep alone," she stated.
"I need to properly recuperate and restore my health."
Her voice was calm yet firm.
It left no room for discussion.
Liam was taken aback for a moment.
In the end, he did not object.
Truthfully, even if she hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have forced anything on her until her mood improved.
But living in separate rooms无形中 created another layer of distance between them.
Since that argument at the hospital, he had felt her gradually pulling away.
This预感 made him restless and uneasy.
Late at night, the villa was enveloped in darkness.
Vivian stood by the window in her thin nightgown.
Sleep eluded her completely.
Even if she managed to fall asleep, she would only plunge into deeper nightmares.
The familiar scenery outside was soaked in the thick night.
She had been gone for barely half a month.
Yet it felt like a lifetime had passed.
She looked back on her more than twenty years of life.
She could scarcely find any truly happy moments.
Even if there had been some, looking back now only filled her with profound sorrow.
Was this her fate?
If she had left with the child back then, would she have been spared these heart-wrenching choices?
But she had survived.
Whether for the sake of hatred, or for something else.
She could no longer allow herself to be trapped in this suffocating situation.
That weak, sorrowful, easily bullied Vivian Bennett...
If she continued to live like this, it would be better for her to disappear completely.
She raised her head, looking toward the distant east.
A bright morning star hung on the horizon.
It seemed to guide lost travelers.
Vivian took out her phone.
She dialed a number she had long memorized by heart.
"There's something I've been thinking about for a long time," she said.
Her voice was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
"Only you can help me."
She told Julian Klein her carefully considered decision, word by word.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Finally, Julian let out a soft sigh.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"Once you take this step, there's no turning back."
"Are you really... willing to let go?"
Vivian's gaze passed through the glass.
It landed on the tightly closed door of the master bedroom.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, only a resolute clarity remained in their depths.
"To gain something, you must lose something first."
"Since I've made my decision, I won't regret it."
The light of the morning star gradually faded.
The eastern sky began to pale with the first light of dawn.
A round sun broke free from the horizon, leaping into the sky.
Vivian looked up at the erupting golden light.
Tears silently traced paths down her cheeks.
She had made the most important decision of her life.
No matter how painful it was, she would not look back.